Botox

Botox has been used for more than 50 years for lazy eye and wry neck (cervical dystonia). More recently Botox has been used more for smoothing out lines and wrinkles and in 2002, Botox was approved for improving frown lines and relaxing the muscles associated with forehead lines between the eyes. Botox has been successful for millions of patients.

Botox therapy is individually personalized and varies from person to person. Appointments generally last 15 minutes, require few injections with extremely small needles and have a very short recovery time. No anesthesia is needed and discomfort is minimal and brief.

Botox produces relaxation of the muscles in which it has been injected and will not cause complete paralysis unless excessive amounts are used. Physicians typically use the minimum amount needed to cause a reduction in movement, resulting in a smoothing appearance of the facial lines. Botox is not intended to stop facial expressions altogether, but to keep patients from making frowns and grimaces from habitual expressionism, which may lead to lines and wrinkles. When Botox is administered correctly one should:

Look more rested

Look happier to others

Three to ten days after the procedure has been performed one will notice reduction in lines and wrinkles. AZ Med Center encourages before and after photos, as most people will not notice the changes in lines and wrinkles over a week, but will when pictures are placed side by side. Results will be evident for 3-4 months on average and then muscle movement will begin to return to normal. Over the course of several treatments patients usually notice marked improvements in appearance and wrinkles.

Patients should avoid:

Lying down for two to four hours and stay upright if at all possible.

When bruising is a concern, it is important that patients avoid taking anti-inflammatories after the procedure to keep bruising to a minimum.

Exercise and heavy lifting several hours after should also be avoided as they may cause bruising at the injection sites.

Patients should not rub or press on or around injection sites to avoid perfusion into adjacent tissues.

Risks with Botox injections are generally minimal and include flu-like symptoms, headache and pain at the injection site. In rare cases a drooping lid or eyebrow may happen but is less than 1% when done correctly.